LENT Day 2

Lent Devotional

Day 2 - Thursday, February 19, 2026

“Why Lent Begins with Repentance”

Author: Ashley Schroyer

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Scripture: Psalm 51:101 & John 1:9

If I’m being honest, repentance often sounds like “God, I’m sorry I’ve been trying to hold everyone and everything together without you.” I spend my days caring for kids, staff, pets, leading, fixing, showing up early, staying late, and holding it together with an iced matcha, and a prayer. Somewhere along the way, I started believing that if I don’t manage everything people, feelings, outcomes the whole thing will fall apart. Repentance is where I admit that I haven’t been trusting God, I’ve been gripping too tightly to my own control. That my exhaustion isn’t a badge of honor it’s a sign that I’ve been sinning. Scripture says that "whatever is not from faith is sin," meaning actions lacking trust in God are inherently sinful.

Repentance gets a bad rap. As someone who is just starting out with the bible and learning about God. It sounds like God standing over me with a disappointed sigh. But repentance isn’t God saying, “Ugh, look what you did.” It’s God saying, “Come here. Let’s clean this out together” and wow does that feel good! 

Repentance is less about punishment and more about permission. Permission to stop pretending we’re fine. Permission to admit we’re tired, overwhelmed, snappy, controlling, numb, or just plain cranky for reasons we can’t even name. (Hi. It’s me. 👋)

Lent starts with repentance because you can’t make room for something new if your heart is already jam-packed like that one junk drawer in the house that technically closes, but only if you shove really hard and pray nothing explodes. God isn’t asking us to shame the mess; He’s asking us to open the drawer.

Psalm 51 doesn’t say, “Create in me a perfect heart.” It says a clean one. A cleared one. A heart that has space to breathe again. And 1 John reminds us that confession doesn’t end in condemnation it ends in cleansing. Forgiveness isn’t fragile. God doesn’t hand it out nervously, hoping we won’t mess up again. He is faithful. Every time.

Prayer

God,  please create in me a clean heart, help me make room for you! Forgive me for my sins, renew me, and teach me how to walk lighter with You, one honest step at a time!  Amen